Bongekile Mildred Simelane (born July 26, 1994), better known as Babes Wodumo is a South African gqom artist and choreographer. She rose to fame following the release of her breakthrough song “Wololo”, in 2016. The song later appeared on her debut studio album, Gqom Queen, released in late 2016. Babes Wodumo married Mandla Maphumulo in 2020. In 2021 they had their first child, even though Babes’ parents didn’t know. They have a reality show, “uthando logo,” which premiered on the Showmax channel (495). Her husband later passed away in December 2022, due to a stroke.
People who have been following the story of Mampintsha’s sister Pinky and Mampintsha’s widow Babes Wodumo, know that they don’t get along, from when Mampintsha was still alive there were issues between Babes and Pinky as it is alleged that Mampintsha’s sister didn’t want Mampintsha to get married to Babes Wodumo but she wanted to choose a wife for Mampintsha to marry. So that has caused a lot of drama between the 2.
After the passing of Mampintsha’s mom Pinky went to the papers and revealed that Babes Wodumo whose real name is Bongekile Simelane didn’t reach out to her late husband’s mother, Zama Gumede before she died in the hospital.
In less than a month after Mandla Mampintsha’s passing, his mother also died.
Babes and Zama reconciled at Mandla’s funeral service, but the Gqom queen reportedly didn’t visit Zama in the hospital before her death.
“Despite making peace with MaGumede at Mpintsho’s funeral she never visited her in the hospital and she never phoned her,” Pinky told Daily Sun.
Yesterday at the funeral Babes Wodumo wanted to try and fix things between her and Pinky. She then stood up to speak at the funeral, she said “Today I want to assure you that you will never go hungry when I’m still around. I will be your pillar of strength, you have a sister in me. While Babes was saying that people noticed that she was in pain from the sound of her voice. Someone even commented saying the pain in her voice and eyes.May God heal her heart. I felt that line “I am also not ok” oh this is hard for her.
This is so painful, Babes is going through a lot is just that some people can’t notice it because she is mourning differently she doesn’t show her pain in public like other people that is why people don’t notice that she is hurting. We are hoping that things will get better between her and Mampintsha’s sister. For the sake of Mampintsha’s baby Sponge.